


All it matters

by Cilare



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angels possessing humans, F/M, SPN Dystopia Bang, SPN Dystopia Bang 18, dystopic AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 20:45:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 19,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14838860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cilare/pseuds/Cilare
Summary: Mary Winchester is a Hunter, one of the travelers of the new world order that bring news, protection and help to the few human settlements that remain free from the angels’ influence. She is also seeking the demon that killed her husband years ago, so as soon as she gets a clue of the demon’s next location, she rides in search of a yet-unmapped settlement. There she finds distrust, instead of the warm welcome hunters are usually given, and a pagan god that’s willing to work with her in order to rescue a mortal man and get revenge on the very same demon Mary seeks.And while Mary is well aware that trusting a pagan god is a very bad idea, the plan is set into motion.





	1. Chapter 1

 

Mary was young when they came, when they took the cities and most towns and turned the world into a mockery of civilization. She hadn’t met John yet, she hadn’t even been on a hunt alone, but she saw them take people and turn them into puppets.

Her father had told her about angels, of course. Everybody had heard about them, even if the tales were different from land to land. They should have been saviors, protectors and healers. They weren’t. They should have destroyed all those creatures that preyed in humanity, like hunters had been doing for centuries. Again they didn’t.

At first humanity fought. The moment they realized what was happening it was not only the hunters or the Men of Letters, but entire countries that took arms. It lasted for about two days, when only a few hidden settlements that had been warded and garrisoned managed to survive. And even then, some had been lost to time. Angels weren’t humans, but they could take their bodies and then the mind was lost, but not the knowledge.

She’d met John in the first settlement her father had approached, and they’d clicked soon enough. He’d made her laugh, they’d talk while they cleaned weapons and later she was the one to teach him warding. She’d been Mary Campbell until they were both nineteen, when they married and she took her surname. They had no church on the settlement, for prayers were forbidden and a serious breach in security, but they moved to a house they’d built themselves and the party lasted for two days.

Her father had received a call months later, and so he’d left to help a hunter in danger. He’d never returned, probably prey to some of the creatures that go bump in the night. The alternative was worse, and so she didn’t even consider it. Mary had been strong, or at least she’d tried, but her pain had been obvious. She’d taken to hunting again in a desperate attempt to find closure, even if it helped to protect the settlement.

John had been murdered on a moonless night, just as she came back from a hunting trip. Hunters were now not only protectors, but the communication network of the last free humans, so the moment she’d heard of demonic omens near the settlement she considered her home she’d run back. She’d found the house on fire, the first love of her life dying and a demon standing over the ashes. Those yellow eyes would walk her nightmares for years, but they also haunted her days. Mary had wanted revenge and now, five years later, the fire was still burning.

 

The meeting place, a half-hearted attempt of a road bar hidden in a natural cave formation, was quite full given the times. The Roadhouse, they called it, and Mary was one of the regular patrons. That meant that she came once or twice every three months, but the people there knew her name and the hunters chatting over tanks of homebrewed beer had already seen her once. One of them, a tall lanky guy with a scar crossing his eyebrows, offered her a seat.

“What can you tell us today, Winchester?” He asked, not entirely impolite. Information, these days, was as valuable as food and as dangerous as a good weapon.

“None of the places I know have changed a lot. The angels are keeping to the cities, at least for now.” She admitted.

The man nodded. “Good. Me and Jack back there ganked a werewolf two days back, I have something you might find interesting.”

And so they traded. Mary told him the rumors of a ghost she’d heard on the way, and in exchange she heard about demonic omens. She didn’t even try to hide the way her fingers clenched at the thought, the mere thought, that it could be the same monster she’d been hunting for years.

“Thank you.”

She would have left that very same moment, but Ellen Harvelle, owner and voice of the roadhouse, stopped her. In the end Mary agreed to stay the night, but as soon as dawn came she got on her horse and rode east. Her father had told her about cars, way faster and less opinionated, but that had been a long time ago. Now humanity had horses, when they were that lucky, and monsters tended to be faster. It just made the job of the few hunters still standing slightly more complicated.

But just as monsters enjoyed making their life a continuous danger, there were always people willing to lend a hand, and the roads between those people, the known safe houses in empty corners of the map and the settlements were what hunters called the Routes. The very same hunters that had been taken for madmen before were now welcome in all places where humans still ruled. The Routes were ever-changing and kept updated by hearsay, but as trustworthy as anything could be in their world. Maps were drawn and then burned to keep the locations hidden, and those were only discussed behind wards. Thus, they weren’t complete and it was always good news to learn about a new community and bring it back to the Roadhouse and the people in there.

Mary had never been this far west, not alone and not certainly following omens like the ones she was tracking, but it didn’t surprise her to find, after two days of travel and half the food she was carrying, the walls of a probably human settlement. There were fields around the walls and people in those fields, and the moment she saw them working them instead of training she made her choice. Angels didn’t eat, much less harvest wheat. And given that angels didn’t ride horses, she wasn’t greeted with too many weapons on hand.

“I’m a hunter.” Was all that she said, and soon enough she found herself inside the walls, a beer on hand and a man taking the seat in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All art created by the amazing winchesterchola:
> 
> http://winchesterchola.tumblr.com  
> http://stargazingchola.livejournal.com


	2. Chapter 2

“We don’t like hunters here.”

And that was unexpected. Mary took a sip of her beer and raised an eyebrow, waiting for the man to continue. He was short and bald; his tone was calm and his voice firm. 

“But if you have come with news, we will let you stay as long as you don’t make trouble.” 

Mary crossed her hands, met the man’s gaze and finally decided against intimidation. It would do her no good, even if she was tired of not being taken seriously. What kind of town didn’t like hunters? She could believe they’d had bad experiences in the past, and yet… and yet it did not matter. She was a guest, she’d behave as such. At least until she had the information she needed. 

“I’m here because I’ve heard stories about a demon.” 

The small tavern had been slowly getting more people, many watching the newcomer with outright distrust. But there were a couple of families that looked actually hopeful, and one of the women in their table spoke next, her voice nervous. 

“Tell her, Edward. She might help.”

There was a faint murmur of questions, some worried, and then the man in front of her, probably Edward, nodded. 

“A man was taken from our fields last week.” He told her. “We can show you the place.” 

In the end they agreed to go there in the morning, as soon as the sun rose. A day later, Mary would have to leave the town. It was not that she liked it, but she knew better than to argue with the townsfolk until she knew what was going on. She had two days so it would have to do. And given that she wasn’t feeling welcome in the tavern, she left as soon as it was polite enough and started walking the streets, hoping to find the place she would be lead to without a mob of worried farmers behind her. 

“You really shouldn’t stay in this town.” 

The voice came from behind her, from a short blond man that wasn’t even attempting to smile. What was with this people and hospitality? Mary tried not to snark, she really did. Obviously she failed. 

“Because someone else happened to be a hunter and a jerk, and came here before me?” 

The man shook his head. “Because this town is not protected by hunters, and that could mean your death. The people here are being nicer than they should, you know.” 

That… had also been unexpected. And bad news. And now she was starting to understand. She had her crossbow on her, and she always kept twin iron knives on her belt, but… There was no chance Angels were protecting this town. Vampires, maybe? No, the townsfolk had been farming the fields. Werewolves? No, she’d have recognized the signs, or so she hoped. 

Mary clenched her jaw. “Who protects the town, then?” 

The man’s smile was crooked. “One of the old gods. He killed the last hunter that slept in his town.” 

The chill that went through Mary’s spine had nothing to do with the weather or the time of the day. She’d heard of gods, of course, who hadn’t? But the gods were not all-powerful, and some had been killed, or so the stories said. They hadn’t been seen for ages, it was anyone’s wonder if they still existed. 

“He’s not doing a really good work if a man has been snatched right under his nose.” Mary found herself saying. 

Something really close to anger crossed the man’s eyes, but it suddenly disappeared. They were a pale shade of gold and while he looked mid-thirties or so, there was something behind his gaze that screamed he’d seen a lot. Mary would have taken him for a hunter. 

“I would be careful if I were you.” The man said, his tone frosty. 

Mary narrowed her eyes. “Is that a threat?” 

The man smiled and shrugged. “It may be. But I really suggest you leave.” 

It was not that she wasn’t used to threats, because she’d gotten her share from the monsters she hunted, but never from plain humans. Why would them? But maybe, just maybe, insulting the god of the people she was now a guest of hadn’t been a wise move. 

“Ok, look, sorry if I offended you.” She apologized. “It was not my intention. But I cannot leave until I know for certain what happened. Would you lead me to the wards?” She asked, after a second. 

The man blinked, apparently taken off guard by the question, but then he nodded. 

“Follow me.” And he started walking. 

Mary had to shake off the feeling that she was walking into a trap more than once, the man refusing most of his attempts at conversation and walking through the alleys at quite a high step, but the silent treatment only lasted for about five minutes, when Mary found herself facing the remnants of a church. Unlike most, it hadn’t been destroyed, just abandoned, and one of the walls was thick with runes and marks. Most of them Mary had never seen before, and others had the stone beneath them cracked. There was soot on the ground, and a faint smell of sulphur. 

So it was true. Both her suspicions were true, in fact. Those wards hadn’t been drawn by a hunter, many of the runes were not in any book the Men of Letters had ever shown her, and they hadn’t been broken by an angel. The Yellow Eyed Demon had been there. Mary clenched her fist, then took a deep breath. 

The man was staring at her, silent. 

“Is it personal?” Was the only thing he asked, after a few moments. 

Mary nodded. It was, there was no need to hide it. “That demon killed my husband.” Her voice was more of a growl. 

The man nodded. 

“I still believe you should leave.” He told her, but his voice was warmer now. “But if you stay, the townspeople are preparing a ritual and the god that protects them will appear. Consider attending.”


	3. Chapter 3

In the end Mary stayed in the town until the day of the ritual. It was not wise, she knew that, but even if all she knew about the gods was wrong, a being that had kept a town safe from angels should be able to help her. Whoever that god was, it was the best chance she’d had in years. She was only glad there were no other hunters around to see it, even if the townsfolk made her nervous. She’d started carrying knives on her at all times, just in case, but it was a risk she was willing to take, mainly because questioning the family of the disappeared man led her nowhere and trying to follow a demon’s trail on horse was a lost cause. 

The ritual wasn’t so much occultism as a party, the townsfolk building bonfires and sacrificing two goats in an altar. It was around nightfall when they started cooking, singing tunes in a language Mary didn’t recognize. She found herself helping around a fireplace until a voice startled her. 

“So you have stayed.” 

It was the same man that she’d met outside the tavern, the same golden-green eyes, but his hair now reached his shoulders and his clothes were not those of the townsfolk. They were leather and cloth, yet he was bare-chested in the cold night air. 

The clearing became silent as their god addressed the newcomer, the kind of calm that tends to precede a storm. 

“Today my people will make offers and asks me the favors they want on return. There will be offerings and sacrifices and some of those favors will be granted.” The god, because she wasn’t doubting that anymore, told her. “If you have stayed, I assume you have something in your mind too.”

Mary searched through her memories, trying to find out who she was talking to, but so far no description matched. It didn’t matter, in the end. She wasn’t carrying a stake, that would have been way too much of a provocation, so she’d have to talk and hope she could fight, if worse came to worst, with her knives. 

“I come here with an offer.” She told him. The silence around them grew even more, the only sound in the clearing was that of the fire. “The demon that harmed your people murdered my husband, and I will have my revenge. I am a hunter, I have a shot at it when most humans don’t. But I cannot find it on my own.” She admitted. “I will set to kill the demon and bring back your man if you are able to locate him.” 

The god stared at her for more than ten seconds, his face a stony mask. But then he smiled, a crooked smile barely similar to the real thing, and nodded. 

“You have courage. I am Loki, protector of this town, and I will consider your… offer.” He added, before walking towards the center of the clearing. A throne, vines and wild bushes and old wood appeared just as he sat, the people heading in turns to bring offers to its feet. Then they knelt, asked something of Loki, and left. Most of the times the god just nodded but there were some requests that turned a perfect poker face into a mischievous half-smile. 

When the last of those who’d address him had made his request, Loki vanished into thin air, the offerings with him, and the party continued. The songs grew louder, the drink went around and after a while even Mary had taken more than a sip of ale, but she kept catching some stares, both curious and wary, and the moment most people were too drunk to notice, she turned around and walked towards her room in the tavern. She’d have to leave the next day, probably, or as soon as Loki gave her an answer. She was probably lucky there hadn’t been a fight, because dealing with the townsfolk after killing their god would have been quite the problem. 

“There used to be human sacrifices, too.” 

Mary nearly jumped out of her skin. Loki was there, sitting on her bed and wearing the same leather pants and boots that he had at the party. He was smiling even as Mary reached for her knife.

“You won’t be able to kill me. And even if you did, then you’d have wasted your time.” Loki told her, laying on her bed. “I suggest you don’t try.”

Mary ground her teeth. “Why are you here?” 

The god grinned and shrugged, and something appeared on her right hand. A… lollipop, by its looks, even if Mary hadn’t seen one since the angels’ arrival. Loki winked at her and sat up. 

“I am accepting your offer. I cannot publicly leave my town, you know, I have to protect this people. But I will travel with you for some days, until we kill that demon of yours. How does it sound?” 

The Hunter frowned, absently playing with the knife. She didn’t trust the god, not as far as she could throw him. If he was being honest, then she was getting the best help she could have found. If he wasn’t, which was way more possible, then she was walking to her death. Pagan gods were not unlike monsters, for all she knew, and the stories about Loki did sometimes describe him as the god of lies. 

“Why should I trust you?” She asked him, meeting his eyes. 

There was a certain aura of power that clung to him like static and his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“We have the same prey. You were the one who asked for my help. Decide. But if you agree, you will meet me tomorrow on the hill to the south of the town, and you will bring your horse and food for a week. We shall go hunting demons.” 

He vanished just as he’d done on the party, his words still echoing in the room. 

Certain death or not, Mary’s revenge was getting closer.


	4. Chapter 4

Loki was, just as he’d promised, waiting for her. 

“We shall go south. My man is being held there and we’ll probably find your demon.” He told her. 

Mary grunted a yes. With half a night’s sleep, something that could be called a faint headache and the not so-nice perspective of travelling with a pagan god, she wasn’t on the best of moods. She wouldn’t say that she was being held together by desires of revenge, but it wouldn’t be that wrong. To make it worse, her horse was full of energy and more than happy to be moving again. And for some weird reason, he liked Loki. 

In the light of the day Mary was starting to have second thoughts about her choices, yes, but that wouldn’t mean she’d show any kind of weakness in front of a monster, pagan god or not. 

“You don’t have a horse?” She asked him, as soon as she got to the top of the hill. 

Loki smirked, avoiding her question. “There is, I believe, a settlement two days from here.” Was all that he said, before his form shivered. 

Mary had already put a bolt on her crossbow when Loki, now a golden draft horse, started trotting downhill. Mary’s own horse followed him without prompting and so the questions ended. 

It wasn’t the easiest of days. Mary was used to silence when she travelled, yes, but there was a difference between being alone with her thoughts and being alone with her thoughts and a pagan god that was now a horse her own horse had apparently a crush on. Barring that, there were the memories. She was closer to peace that she’d ever been, and in the silence of those lonely hills she remembered John. She remembered his smile, the way he talked about the car he’d had before the angels came, all fondness, and she remembered how he’d been the one to gift her the horse she was now riding. She’d named the colt Impala, she’d married John the next month. 

It was around nightfall when Loki went back to human form and sat on the ground. 

“We’re staying here.” 

Mary considered not stopping. “Why? I do believe I should have a say on those things.”

Loki eyed her and shrugged. “If we make camp further, we may be seen, and I’m not risking it. I make the warding, you make a fire?”

In the end Mary acquiesced. The pagan god had chosen a small clearing surrounded by pine trees, creepy but dry, and he’d drawn wards in the bark and the stones. They were more like runes than sigils, but even Mary could notice they hummed with power. She was certainly not falling asleep that night, even if she was tired enough to be grumpy and slow. 

If Loki noticed, he didn’t point it out. 

“It used to be like this.” He said, after a while, sitting next to the fire. “Small settlements, offers in exchange for protection, rituals and parties.” His voice was soft, colored by something like sadness. 

“We grew out of it.” 

What could very well be a smile played around Loki’s eyes. He’d offered to be the one cooking, but Mary very much preferred to do that herself. 

“You grew out of it, and maybe it was for the better. I hadn’t expected those times to return.” 

“Nobody had. And from angels, no less. I could have expected it from demons, but…” 

A shadow crossed Loki’s eyes, but it was only there for less than a second. He simply nodded, accepted his plate when Mary offered it to him and sat with his back on a tree. 

“Do you want to take the first watch?” He asked, after a while. 

Mary eyed him, wary. She was exhausted, but she’d been in worse condition. And no way was she sleeping under his watch. 

“Do you even need to sleep?”

Loki snorted. “Nah. It was just to make you feel better. And you should certainly rest.” 

 

At first Mary tried to stay awake by asking questions. Loki was more than willing to talk about warriors and battles and towns he’d visited in the old times, but there came a point that Mary was barely hearing him. She’d wrapped her blanket around herself and the fire was warm, and it was cozy, and she was tired. 

Then there was fire everywhere. The stench of smoke was as thick as a blanket and she ran as fast as she could. She had to get to the house. She had to find John. The neighbors were screaming, yelling, but she had to… 

The demon’s eyes were yellow, not gold or pale green, but disgustingly yellow. He was laughing and John, John… 

There was a voice then, like the wind on the trees. There was a hand on her forehead. And then, silence.

 

She woke up at dawn, stretching and yawning before realizing where she was. She nearly jumped out of her skin, before she found Loki, still sitting against the same tree, watching the fire that was slowly dying. Somebody, probably him, had added new wood. 

“Are you ready to move?” He asked her, not fully turning around. “Or do you need to have breakfast first?” 

Mary couldn’t say if he was being serious or not, but some things were important. 

“Breakfast.” She growled. “We are going into battle, we are having breakfast.” 

They had bread and cheese, and a wineskin the townsfolk had given her, but she didn’t touch the wine. 

Loki, even when offered, denied. “I don’t need the food.” Was all he said, before crossing some of the runes and turning into a horse once more. 

They didn’t get to camp again. By the time the afternoon became evening they saw the smoke and the walls. 

They’d hear the screams and the panic in the voices later, when they got closer, just as they’d see be able to smell the sulphur. Mary didn’t think it through: she ran towards the settlement.


	5. Chapter 5

There were no people running around in panic, which was a relief given the size of the hole in the town’s defenses. And it was not metaphorical, as quite a big chunk of stone and wards had been melted and steamed as Mary jumped over it. The smell of sulphur was everywhere, another needless indication of what she was dealing with. And given the power needed to blow the wards that way, Mary was starting to see red. Revenge, at last. Revenge or death, but she didn’t care that much. She forced herself to remain calm, even if it took her some time to be able to breathe. 

She’d lost Loki somewhere in the road, but the lack of demons in the streets was possibly a good signal. That, or a very bad one. Something cracked behind her, she turned around just in time to see a window slam shut. There were lines of salt in the door, terrified eyes inside and a sigh of relief as soon as they saw that she could cross the salt. Five sets of eyes, in truth, none of them a hunter’s. Just terrified townspeople that didn’t know how to survive. 

“Is this everybody?” Mary asked them, keeping the voice low. 

Were there just this few survivors? 

A little girl was the one to answer. “The men have left…” 

To fight, to protect, probably to die. The problem with most exorcisms nowadays were that they were in a way prayers, and nobody wanted that. She’d spent more than a year working with Bobby just to find one that worked and the freaking angels had nearly killed them twice. So people had few things to work with, and non-hunters couldn’t really do much with crossbows and maybe the odd gun they still had. 

“Stay here. I’ll come back with reinforcements. Keep the doors closed and the salt lines in place.” She ordered. 

She could only hope that they would survive the day, just as she hoped that the list of places they’d given her would be right. The town hall was warded, the biggest building there was, but it had probably gone up in smoke as soon as the demons had arrived. Right now she wasn’t even worrying about the man they were supposed to rescue, he was probably dead anyway. 

She met the first demon half a street after leaving the house. It jumped on her, wearing the body of a young woman and screeching, and it screeched harder as Mary took a step back and started the exorcism. She didn’t have anything resembling a Devil’s trap on hand, but this had been a low-tier demon and the words were enough. She wanted to save the holy water for the Yellow Eyed Demon she was hoping she’d kill, her supply was way too short to waste it. 

The town hall was a minute from where she was now, the streets oddly silent after the demon had given away her location, so she was growing wearier by the moment. That kind of quiet wasn’t natural, and she gripped her crossbow tighter. She could see the town hall now, and she could see a dim column of smoke rising from a nearby building. Running was dangerous, but being slow would be much worse, so she sprinted to the closed door and checked if it was open. The windows had been blocked and the door was locked too, so she tried throwing her weight against it. It didn’t even crack. 

Mary cursed, looking around and trying once more to force open the lock when the shadows of the street took the form of a middle-aged man. And while Mary had never seen him wearing that particular face, the sickly yellow eyes he now wore were warning enough of what lay behind them. Mary started the exorcism just as the Yellow Eyed demon started laughing, a gaggle of minor demons appearing behind him. They were affected by the words, but then she felt an invisible hand clawing against her throat. She’d have cursed again if she’d been able to. 

Then the force on her throat disappeared, somebody lay a hand on her shoulder and the world started spinning. The air became colder, the ground beneath her feet slightly less solid, and she could see for the faintest of moments a clearing under pale white sunlight. A second later she was in front of the first house, the one most mortals were hidden in, and Loki was at her side, his eyes troubled. It only lasted for a moment, but it was enough for Mary to notice it. 

“Thank you for providing a distraction.” He told her. He wasn’t wearing the leather pants attire anymore, looking now like a normal human being, but even Mary could notice a faint static around him as he opened the door. The people inside only calmed down when they saw Mary behind him, casting wary looks towards the pagan god. 

“There are thirteen other survivors, all prisoners.” Loki told them, sitting on top of an old desk. “There are also five minor demons and a major one, so the odds are bad but not impossible.” He turned towards Mary, and the full attention of the room fell on her. “You are the one who knows how to fight them. What shall we do?” 

It took her a second to react, but then she nodded. She knew her way around people, at least in battle, and even if she was quite sure that Loki would do his own thing again, just as he’d already done, she had to thank him for deferring to her. Even if she didn’t really understand why. Maybe, she thought, was because she was human and she understood human limitations. Or maybe he was just being courteous or polite. 

“We cannot wait for them to come here. We must draw them out, and we can hide Devil’s traps to keep the minor demons from interfering, but the major one will take a lot of effort.” 

It would be a seven versus six. They would be outnumbered and outclassed. They had no other choice.


	6. Chapter 6

The plan was made over a wooden table that had seen much better days, barely big enough for all the adults to gather around. It was Loki who brought most of the weapons, three crossbows and two iron swords, and two flasks of holy water Mary wasn’t sure she wanted to know where they’d come from. 

“Your supplies wouldn’t have been enough.” He told her, shrugging. He’d also told the townspeople they’d brought all those supplies and had left them hidden and warded, but Mary knew better. She also knew that asking would just be a way of wasting time, so she took a deep breath and then they left the house. Everybody else would provide a distraction while they drew various Devil’s traps in strategic points. The plan was flimsy at best, doomed at worst, but they didn’t have anything better and they needed to face the YED alone if they wanted a chance to kill it. 

“I understand you have a blood matter to settle with that demon, but if I have the chance, I will kill it. Is it alright with you?” Loki’s voice was barely a whisper, but there was none of the quiet arrogance usually around him. He was serious, and Mary forced herself to be reasonable and nod. She wanted the YED dead much more than she wanted to kill it, even if her dreams were usually about revenge. 

“It is.” She said, and then they faced the first demon. 

It appeared out of thin air, like they usually did, but this time it was not only Mary and the moment it jumped on her Loki threw it to one side. It gave her enough time to start the exorcism and immobilize it, but they’d underestimated that particular minion and it disappeared one step from the Devil’s trap, clutching at its throat and smirking. This one had looked like a young woman and given its glare, the YED would know they were on their way in a matter of seconds. 

Mary traded a gaze with Loki and they both nodded. They had to get out of the street before anybody else appeared. Of course, just as they thought about it everything went to hell. The five demons thugs appeared around them, only two of them getting trapped in the Devil’s trap, and the YED smirked as he walked towards them, holding the terrified corpse of one of the previously free townspeople. 

“You have failed again, Mary Campbell.” The YED rasped, an eyebrow arched and something entirely non-human behind its smile. 

For the barest of moments Mary’s vision went red. She wanted to strangle the monster in man’s clothes just in front of her, no matter how many minions surrounded them. She knew the grief and the pain would come later, she knew she’d hate herself a little more when her mind wrapped around the murdered woman. But for now, all she wanted was revenge for yet another life, so she jumped, knife in hand. 

Oh, she knew that an iron knife wouldn’t kill a demon by itself. But enough cuts and enough holy water would do the trick, it was just a matter of holding on until she’d won. 

The YED tried to disappear and noticed the Devil’s trap just in time to change his direction. But Loki was waiting for him there, and the demon hissed in outrage when he was forced to duck and avoid the pagan god’s knife. Another demon appeared behind them, recoiling as Mary started chanting and doused the blade in holy water, but handing the YED a stake before he tried to vanish again. Loki didn’t give him that chance. He drew a rune in the demon’s chest with a knife and it suddenly went limp, falling to the ground in a heap. 

But the demons learned and they did so fast. They started taking long turns around Loki, focusing on Mary and trying to make her stop chanting. Twice she was forced to start the exorcism again, but one of those times granted her a hit at the YED demon. Oh, it didn’t kill it, but the wound took some time to close thanks to the holy water. It took a step back, then jumped on Loki, stake in hand, and the pagan god doubled over. There was a wave of power, then silence. 

Mary didn’t dare to turn around, but she forced herself to face the situation. The demons had left, bright blue wards appearing on the stones paving the street, and Loki… Loki disappeared in a cloud of dust as she watched. 

One of the townspeople appeared from the other end of an alley, yelling and screaming the moment he saw the corpse. They’d been seated together, Mary noted, trying to think straight. There were people that still needed her help, she had to keep her cool. She couldn’t let her feelings rule her actions, not until the hunt had been finished. If she yielded, she wouldn’t move in too long. 

So she ran towards the house they’d tried to assault, throwing the door down with her whole body and running downstairs as soon as she made sure there was nobody else in the first floor. 

Loki was in the basement, holding a blood-covered young man. His gaze was grim, but Mary took a moment to notice that detail, trying to hold back the unexpected relief. 

-It was an illusion. -Loki told her, no mischief in his eyes. -And yet we are late. 

The man croaked a burst of laughter, his voice trembling. -I’m sorry, I told them. -He huffed, and then he closed his eyes. His chest still moved for more than a minute before death took him. 

-I must return at once. This was a trap to lure me out. -Loki added, facing Mary. -What will you do? 

That wasn’t the question. 

-Will these people be safe if we leave? 

Loki nodded, and thus she made her choice. She was a hunter, wasn’t she? 

-Let’s go. We’ll need food, but we should be able to leave tonight. 

The pagan god shook her head and offered her a hand. -We need to be faster, and my town will let me appear there. 

It was a mistake. It was dangerous, it would probably get her killed, it wouldn’t be painless. No monster could be trusted. But she’d already trusted him once, hadn’t she? 

-Alright. -She accepted. And for a second, before the world lost all color, she thought she saw something warm in Loki’s eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

A man she’d met in a tavern claimed he’d been teleported once by an angel. Mary had never believed him, of course, for he wouldn’t have survived an encounter with an angel, but he’d described it as his lungs forgetting they worked, as an expanse of darkness that lasted both for a second and for an age, and then they were in another place. 

Pagan god teleportation wasn’t that different, except that the darkness lasted for more than three heartbeats, and the moment they landed it was not in any way swift. Mary found herself falling to the ground, another body under her, and pure instinct made her roll away from a very alarmed Loki. 

“They’ve changed the warding.” He hissed, outrage in his voice, and Mary got up as he jumped to his feet and started cursing in a language Mary didn’t understand. 

It took him a few breaths to calm down and turn towards Mary, who he’d apparently forgotten he’d been bringing along. 

“Are you ok?” He asked at last, frowning lightly. 

She nodded, checking for all her weapons, and then located the town, a few miles from the hill they were now on. There were faint columns of smoke rising from it, but nothing that could indicate a catastrophe of the magnitude of the YED. 

“They are here.” Loki told her, as if reading her mind. She wasn’t really sure he hadn’t. “And I shall need your assistance. The warding must be destroyed if I’m to help.” 

In a gesture of his hand a horse appeared, tall and lanky and black spotted, and the pagan god offered her the reins. 

“My people are in danger, Mary. Godspeed.” 

So Mary jumped on the horse and urged it to gallop, and not for the first time in a day she wondered what the trust she now had in that pagan god said about her. If Bobby got word of it she wouldn’t hear the end of it, and yet Mary knew full well that if Loki had wanted her dead, she would be. As long as they were working for the same goal there would be no problem, or so she hoped. 

And, truth be told, the horse was fast. Faster than the one she’d brought and would want back, fast enough to cover the terrain in minutes and throw himself through the gates that had been left open. Nobody was watching them, and the wards on the inside of the walls had been broken and crossed out. They weren’t the center, though, the true wards were hidden in the middle of the town, so Mary led the horse through the buildings and dismounted as soon as the streets became paved with stone. She needed the silence if she was to survive, and she already held her knife and the flask of holy water. 

A rush of cloth against something else caught her attention and she stilled, the horse stopping just behind her in perfect silence, and she turned just in time to see one of the nearest doors moving. She didn’t take the chance: she jumped once more on the horse and rode, aware that the best way to get help right now was to get to the warding. If that had been a demon teleporting, which was the most possible explanation, she needed to run and to do it now. 

The horse understood. And if it didn’t, then at least he made it seem so, because Mary only needed to touch the reins to have him follow and maybe, just maybe, they were rushing faster than she’d ever moved. If her memory wasn’t wrong she was just one street from the warding Loki had shown her, and just crossing it with iron and maybe blood would be enough to destroy it. Yes, the town would be visible to demons, but then again, the demons were already there. She’d help the townspeople with the warding if they needed it later, she had no problem with it. 

But it couldn’t be that easy, couldn’t it? There was a small gaggle of demons, a total of three, posted before the wards, chatting rushedly in a language Mary didn’t understand. There was also movement behind them, and just a second after Mary took cover behind the nearest column she saw one of the townsmen rushing at them with a flask of holy water. She knew it was the real stuff because one of the demons shrieked, and there she saw her chance. Two more townspeople appeared chanting exorcisms and she ran towards the wall, her blade out and crossing the new and modified warding as she went. One of the demons saw her, but she simply winked at him and threw herself to the ground as soon as the energy contained in the wards was released. 

Truth be told, most wards didn’t explode, nor did they emit shockwaves. But warding was meant to be done carefully and by an expert, and modifying existent warding in a rush could lead to some problems. One of them was the instability, and the humming in the air there had been before the modification, Mary remembered it perfectly, meant that there was a lot of power stored in there. Now there wasn’t, and at least one of the humans there had had the common sense to avoid the blast. The other was unconscious, hopefully, and Mary pointed at the other. 

“Pick her up. Loki is coming.” She added. “We need to get him behind warding.” 

There was an explosion behind her and Mary’s smile grew, only to disappear as soon as she smelled the acrid tang of sulphur. That hadn’t been Loki. She debated the pros and cons of turning around, the pros won and she found herself, once more, facing a certain demon whose face she’d gladly tear off. 

“And we meet again.” He said, voice wheezy and annoying, and she wasted no time in starting an exorcism. Again. 

Whatever Loki was doing, he’d better drag his pagan ass there and help her, because she was surrounded for the second time in a day and that was starting to feel cliché.


	8. Chapter 8

It was always worth it to take into account the way demons fought. Some could control fire, others had a limited form of telekinesis and many had Hellhounds that would obey their orders. Mary had never seen the YED fight with any of those, mainly ordering its grunts to do the dirty work, but that didn’t mean that it couldn’t do it. Finding information about what he could do had occupied most of Mary’s time in the later years, but it had been a complete waste of time. He’d fought hunters, he’d destroyed settlements and he’d calmed down somewhat after the Apocalypse, but that was nothing strange. Most of the demons had done that. 

Mary’s plan to deal with him wasn’t that different from dealing with other demons. If she managed to stash him in a Devil’s trap, then Holy water and a knife coated in it would probably do the trick. Or an angel blade, but those were in short stock and while she’d been meaning to acquire one for the last few years, she hadn’t been that lucky. Not yet, at least. It was on her plans if she survived. 

She managed to stab one of the demon’s grunts as soon as it got close enough, and it yelled in outrage before backing off. Where was Loki? Mary knew that relying on any kind of monster was a surefire way to die, but she’d expected… what? What had she expected? 

She sighed, not willing to go there, and opened the holy water bottle. There was a yell behind her, just in that cursed second, and suddenly everything went black. 

 

All things considered, she could count herself lucky to be alive. Strapped to a chair, gagged, hands bound, but still alive. And more or less whole. And just as she had been dreading since the very moment she’d managed to open her eyes, there it was, the Yellow Eyed Demon looking at her from another chair in front of her and smiling contently. Mary would have kicked that smug look from his face if, well, she weren’t unable to do so. 

“Which are the wardings in your town, little hunter?” The demon asked, his voice wheezy. 

It actually managed to sound wrong, a failed attempt to pass for human. Given that he was asking, though, Mary had to consider that she was in a position where she may be able to bid her time. What for? She wasn’t really sure, but if any opening appeared she wanted to be ready for it. So she smiled and shook her head. 

“Most of the time people buy me a drink before asking. We could toast with holy water.” She suggested, voice mockingly serious. 

The demon raised an eyebrow, profoundly unimpressed. 

“I asked a question. You give me an answer, or my mooks come in. There are no more tricks in your bag, and you know that.”

Truth be told, she was lacking even the bag, but she’d have to do. It was mostly what being a hunter was about, in the direst of moments. The greatest hunters were those that could keep going even when everything seemed lost because well, maybe they were dead for all intents and purposes, but if you yielded, then death was a certainty. As long as you breathed, you could escape. 

That was not to mean that Mary wasn’t afraid, because she was painfully conscious of the way her hands were shaking. There was not a lot to do about that. Best case scenario, torture before the help, if it was to come, arrived. Worst case scenario, torture and demon possession. It didn’t look nice nor homely. 

“You haven’t seen my bag, haven’t you?” She added, letting her mouth run and considering her options. Bad, bad, bad. That was why she didn’t usually mouth off to enemies, she was terrible at it. And the YED didn’t really look like the kind to fall prey to their anger, so things were still grim. 

The demon simply shook his head and Mary felt pressure around her neck, slowly tightening as he made a gesture with his hand. The door was open, so there were probably demons there waiting for the cue. And Mary knew that while the YED wouldn’t kill her, not yet, not until she talked or he got tired of their game, she’d never been under torture. No hunter that she knew had survived being captured by demons, but that was the way it worked. Only Bobby, maybe, but Bobby was good at it. She just had to hold her brains about her and not say anything. And try to wrench something from her torturer’s hand, if she found a chance to do it. It was the best opening she’d have, and hopefully the demon that came in wouldn’t be possessing a bodybuilder. It would be quite the nice cap for this kind of day, but bodybuilders weren’t her type. 

Good thing then that no bodybuilder came in. Nobody came in, in truth, and Mary worried about Hellhounds before she saw the YED frown and turn around. That was good because Mary had managed to wrench one of her hands free and the other was on her way. She heard steps, rushing, and she forced herself to keep still as if she were tied to the chair. 

No bodybuilder came in, but a few of the townspeople did, and by the way they moved Mary’s first impression and fear, that of them being possessed, disappeared. Two of them threw themselves against the demon, blades in hand. Stupid, but it brought her enough time to free her second hand, get the rag out of her mouth and take a step towards the demon. She didn’t have her weapons in hand, but she broke the chair on its back. It didn’t work, though, and there was a cry from a young man not two minutes later, being held by his throat. 

Then a bottle of holy water appeared on Mary’s hand and somebody poked her shoulder.


	9. Chapter 9

 

“Important notice here, listen to me.” It was Loki’s voice, of that was no doubt, but he sounded wary. Mary noticed that the time had slowed down around them, that everybody was moving like they were in a daze.

Loki snapped two fingers in front of her and she turned towards him.

“As I was saying,” the pagan god went on, “listen to me. This is one of my most prized possessions. I will want it back. You understand? I can’t keep the whole time-slowing thing for much longer.”

And then he offered Mary an Angel Blade. A real one, a slight thrum of power shivering over it. Mary took it with something that neared reverence, both impressed and bewildered and as curious as she’d ever been.

“I’ll give it back to you.” She promised. Oh, yes, she’d considered taking it the moment Loki had shown it, but she kind of understood it was a show of truth. Or something valuable enough to be handled with care. “But why don’t you…” She added, gesturing at him.

At that, Loki produced another angel blade from his sleeve and winked. And then everything started moving again.

Mary was slightly dazed because of the time she’d spent strapped to the chair, right, but she was also now carrying one of the better weapons of their time. Crossbows were fantastic, the surviving guns were lovely against most monsters, but a true Angel Blade, and Mary was hoping that the Pagan god hadn’t been lying to her about that, was the best weapon against angels and demons alike. With one of them in her hand she would happily stab the Yellow Eyed Demon and avenge her late husband, and it would probably stick. One never knew for sure, with these kinds of creatures, but…

She lunged for the Yellow Eyed Demon as soon as she got back to her feet. Loki was now next to her, decked in the leather pants, chest covered in runes under a white shirt that somebody had ripped open and maybe, just maybe, he was kind of good looking, in a definitely non-human way. Which was kind of worrying, given Mary’s occupation.

The Demon with yellow eyes took a step back as soon as Loki appeared, letting some of the townspeople go and throwing a nearby table, long ago-forgotten and half rotten, against the pagan. Loki bounded to avoid it, rushing to the ground and to his feet again as soon as the table broke.

The people the YED had attacked were back on their feet, but some minor demons had appeared and Mary prioritized: She stabbed one of the YED’s goons with the blade, the handle unusual in her hands but still lethal, and couldn’t hide a wild grin as soon as the demon combusted. It felt good. Really good. At last something that worked well against those annoyances that demons were.

Another tried to disappear, staggering as it couldn’t, and then Mary understood. She found Loki winking at her, and she blew him a kiss as the next demon realized what had happened. Oh, she wouldn’t forgive Loki easily for all the time she’d had to wait, but if he’d managed to replicate a Devil’s trap over the building, then he had all the respect she could give him.

On the other hand, fighting lesser demons with an Angel Blade was a blessing. She knew that her strikes would hurt, and the Holy Water was now seeming as ineffectual as wielding mosquitoes in comparison to what she could do now. She’d miss it, but she’d given her word.

Unfortunately for her, the rest of the bunch weren’t willing to lay down and die. Something she could understand, but it meant more work, more hassle, and she was starting to get tired. Moreover, one of the demons had managed to hit her with something that had looked like wood and the gash on her side wasn’t life-threatening, but it had the potential to slow her down enough for the next hit to take her. And she wasn’t willing to allow that.

The Yellow Eyed Demon was the one that was keeping the composure the most, and Mary had to respect that. He had managed to organize part of her force, the three or so mooks that were still alive, into something capable to handle the distraction while he fought Loki to what could be considered a stalemate. Mary had to admit it, Loki didn’t look even out of breath while keeping with the rhythm, and their banter, all that she could hear, had changed from English to a language she didn’t understand. Norse, maybe?

But she had other matters to attend. The three or so mooks went down to two when one of the townspeople still standing doused him with Holy Water and got Mary the chance she was needing to stab it. Two more to go. Then something knocked the air out of her chest and sent her flying to the other end of the room. She landed with her eyes open, her mind still foggy and clouded and not really sure of her location. It had been the Yellow Eyed Demon. Mary cursed, tried to force herself to her feet and managed to do so at the second attempt, while Loki distracted the demon, who was now showing Mary her back. She was still holding the Angel Blade, the tip coated in demon blood, and so she saw her chance.

Lunging towards the demon would have been too glorious a description, because she basically let herself fall on top of him. Blade first, on his spine, his blood oozy and dark and wrong. She heard the yell, she felt the heat, and Loki moved her away just in time.

She stood on the ground for a couple of second while the pagan god cleaned the room and moved the survivors. She’d done it.

She’d done it. She’d achieved her revenge. It had been way too short, she’d wanted to make the demon suffer, but it was dead at last.

She should have been ecstatic. She felt hollow.


	10. Chapter 10

The party started at nightfall, when the oldest among the townspeople lighted the bonfires and the youngest brought the food. This time the looks the people gave Mary weren’t as wary, and some of the women even included her in the conversation.

It was lovely. There was music, good food and good drink, and while Mary didn’t feel at home, for her home had burnt down and brought her forwards into a path of revenge, she felt content, peaceful. She didn’t even mind being in a festival sponsored by a pagan god, for at least this one she kind of trusted.

Loki wasn’t there, though, not at the beginning. Mary had come to understand there was a certain sense of distance between the town and their god, and there was also the matter of renewing the warding, which would take some time and probably most of Loki’s effort. He didn’t want people to peek while he did so, but whether that was because of some forbidden technique or because he simply had his quirks, Mary didn’t bother.

She found herself waiting for him, though, wondering if she’d seen the last of him after the battle, when he’d taken his angel blade and disappeared in a blink, soundless. It was kind of angel-like, except for the lack of wing beats, and that was a creepy thought. Some of the townspeople agreed, but they didn’t mind. It was better than just being themselves, and Loki had taught some of them to fight and armed them against the demons.

Now that they trusted her a little more, even if just because Loki didn’t have a problem with her, they asked about the outside world. About the angels, about the way everything worked. Mary told them about the life of a hunter, about fighting demons and meeting others, about how every now and then some misguided person prayed and brought disaster upon their people. But it had to be done, and nowadays hunters weren’t considered freaks, but a certain commodity for settlements that could employ them and the harbingers of news for those who couldn’t. Not many humans dared to travel on their own, so it was a plus.

Mary was aware that she would have to stop by the roadhouse and bring the news, but she didn’t want to break the secret of the town. This people were safer, indeed, at least as long as they had Loki. Hunters had killed pagan gods before, and at least Loki seemed to care in his own way. So she’d have to lie or avoid the questions, and that was something that didn’t sit well with her. She’d never enjoyed being untrue to her friends, and that was what she considered the clique at the Roadhouse.

The arrival of Loki distracted her from that trail of thought. He appeared in front of the bonfire and took a step towards Mary before offering his hand.

“Let me show you something.” Was all he said.

Maybe it was the drink, even if she wasn’t even tipsy, or maybe it was her being tired. Maybe, against her better judgment, she kind of trusted Loki. So she nodded, then took his hand.

The world around them shifted for the better part of a second and then they appeared on a hill, overlooking bonfires. At first Mary thought they were still in the town, but the sky was different and the layout of the bonfires even more so.

“Fear not.” Loki told her, sitting down by her side. “I will bring you back. Your people called this Norway before the angels came and we’re there, some centuries in the past.”

“So, that’s a Viking party?” Mary asked, sitting down. Then she shook herself, a certain edge creeping into her voice “Why are we here?”

“I like talking here. Would you prefer going back?”

“Would you bring me back if I asked?”

The trickster god nodded, and Mary, even after so many years of hunting, believed him.

“Let’s talk, then.”

All of a sudden she felt the weight of Loki’s gaze, as he turned to face her.

“I owe you a favor. I asked for your help and you provided, so I want to offer you mine. No strings attached, but as a hunter, sooner or later you will find yourself in a bad situation.” He drew a rune in the grass, and it shone pale blue. “Trace this in ink or blood and whisper my name, and I’ll appear. If you are not leading me to a trap, I will help you.”

“Alright.” Mary accepted. “I’ll keep that in mind. But also…”

Loki raised an eyebrow, she shook her head.

“I won’t tell the rest of the hunters about your town, or about what happened. Are you ok with that?”

The pagan shrugged. “Just don’t hog all the credit. And thank you, I was going to buy your silence, now I’m saving time.” He got up in a fluid motion, again offering her a hand.

Mary sighed. “Are we going back?”

“That, or Viking party.”

It wasn’t a hard choice. “Viking party.”

 

And if she found herself dressed in leather and chainmail and walking by a trickster god, she’d not been in a good party in years. Not one that she could enjoy. After John she’d decided that revenge came first, that she’d move on afterwards.

Afterwards was now. The world was broken and in shambles, but all hunters shared the will to live through whatever that came. And life was more than fighting.

So if dawn caught her naked under a fur blanket, an equally naked pagan god tracing circles on her back, she found nothing to be ashamed of.

“Whose house is this?” She ended up asking, as soon as her mind decided to wake up.

Loki shrugged, not even deeming it worth it to look around. “Somebody. They’re probably still partying, it will last for some more days.”

“Good. I’ll want to stay for a while.”

Loki’s smile was sharp, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Alright, as you wish. Breakfast?”

Mary stretched out and pondered it for a second.

“Not yet.”


	11. Chapter 11

All news that matter have a way of finding their target, be it sooner or later, and Mary was no different. For all she’d intended to leave after a day, she took a week of respite by Loki’s side. The trickster god was childish at times and distant at others, but never cold or uncaring. And he had quite the sweet tooth, something she didn’t mind at all if it allowed her to discover sweets humanity had forgotten through time. 

But seven days was all Mary could handle without moving, without making sure everything was alright. There, in that little settlement far from others, Mary had found respite and a reason to make a promise a hunter seldom made, that of coming back. Loki had then offered her an angel blade as long as she vowed to bring it back, and Mary had agreed. 

She’d also left with enough food or water for a week, her trusted horse in good condition and her memory as a map to lead her to the Roadhouse. She’d expected to find one or two hunters there, as it was usual, but as soon as she arrived and left her horse in the stables she found herself face to face with the biggest hunter reunion she’d faced in years. Of those she knew about twenty, only a third of the number being faces she couldn’t recognize. 

Mary found Bobby in the middle of the congregation, sitting in a round table by Ellen and an unknown face. The moment Bobby saw her he gestured for her to come sit with them, earning her the attention of most of those there gathered. 

“Did you get our message?” Ellen asked. She tried to smile, it felt forced. 

Mary shook her head, taking a chair Jo offered her and sitting by Bobby. 

“What’s the matter?”

It was Bobby who answered, eyes narrow. “Zachariah is the matter.” 

The room went silent, or maybe it was just Mary’s perception, because the moment she heard the name she felt as if time were slowing down. Zachariah was not a name spoken lightly. 

Two years ago, a Hunter had allowed himself to be possessed by him. Nobody knew why, but Mary guessed torture, and the ensuring killing spree had decimated the hunter population. Zachariah was the kind of angel nobody wanted to cross without an angel blade in hand. It took all of Mary’s will not to reach for the Angel Blade she now wore in her boot. It was not a commodity she wanted to flaunt. 

“Who’s dead, then?” She forced herself to ask.

Ellen’s smile had no mirth behind it. “Him, if we can do it. We got a messenger from one of the cities, a survivor affiliated with us. A human rebel, one of those who haven’t yet sold themselves to the angels.” 

“It could be a trap.” Bobby grunted. “But if it isn’t…”

If it wasn’t, they may never again have a chance like the one on the table. Yes, maybe they’d get to the city and Zachariah would have already fled, but that was always the risk with angels. They were very hard to hunt down, and most of the time killing them killed an innocent human, but it’s not as if they could be exorcised. They had to get what they could get. 

It wasn’t difficult to find those willing to attempt an infiltration, because most hunters knew the risks and yet they were still in the life. No non-hunters had been invited to the roadhouse that day, so now the matter was making the choice. 

Many of the younger hunters, and Mary found herself feeling old at thinking of them like that with only some years of difference between them, were more than eager to try. They didn’t know what they were going into. Mary did, she’d already been in a city once with Bobby and she wasn’t sure they could be trusted. They knew, after all, way too many locations. They couldn’t allow another hunter killing spree. 

There were arguments, there was even one attempt at voting, but it didn’t go down well. In the end most deferred to Bobby by virtue of age and experience and he was the one to choose among the candidates. 

“Ellen and Mary will make one team, I go with them.” He decreed. “You three make the second.” He added, pointing to a team of three siblings. “We go on separate ways, we’ll agree to a meeting place when the plans are done.” 

There was some muttering from the back of the room, nothing major, and Mary found herself led by Ellen to one of the rooms upstairs. Jo had already prepared a table for six people and Bobby took a seat on the corner, opposite to Ellen. 

“Was this already decided?” Mary asked her, not really impressed. 

Ellen just shrugged. “If you hadn’t appeared we’d have chosen another, but we were lucky.” 

“Fair enough.” 

 

When she’d gone with Bobby to get some people out of the nearest city she hadn’t seen the maps, nor the notes Ellen kept. If any Angel got word of them those that frequented the Roadhouse were as good as dead, so they were kept in utmost secret. And she’d just been given clearance. 

If Ellen wasn’t exaggerating, the city was about ten times as big as the largest of the known settlements, and it was pretty small as cities went. The inner areas, mostly former neighborhoods, were the domains of the angels, and some kept humans for chores such as housekeeping and street cleaning. The outer ring of the city was where some humans lived in subservience to the angels, their bodies and wills to be taken when an angel desired. They were under the angels’ watchful gaze, but it had never been enough. There were rebels among them that wanted their world back and they had been the ones to get the news to the hunters. 

Now it was just a matter of surviving.


	12. Chapter 12

Most of the hunters left the next morning and it fell to Jo, Ellen’s daughter, to take care of the few remaining patrons. Bobby gave the other team a place and a day and then retired to what he’d called the planning room. Mary went there not too long after, carrying two trays with breakfast. Knowing Bobby he’d probably skip breakfast in favor of researching, but the old hunter had been her mentor after Mary’s father had died. She could easily do something nice for him. 

“You are quieter.” Bobby pointed out, barely looking up from the map he was reviewing for the second time in two days. 

Mary didn’t answer him at first, she simply sat beside him and peeked at the documents. Part of the map had been copied and a route had been sketched over the streets, marking the meeting point in a circle. She knew better than to ask if that was the one they’d follow, it couldn’t be anything else. Instead, she took a sip of her tea and considered her answer. 

“My steps have been noiseless for a long time.” She told him, well aware that the question was about something completely different. 

Bobby snorted. “I know you, girl.”

“Yeah.” 

Mary held the mug and warmed her hands, thinking. She wouldn’t tell Bobby she’d just had a one-week stand with a pagan god, of course, but then she had to admit that something had changed. He’d noticed, how wouldn’t he? 

“The Yellow Eyed Demon is dead.” Mary breathed out. 

The room went silent as Bobby stopped scribbling. Maybe he’d also stopped breathing, completely quiet as he waited. 

“I am sure. He was stabbed with an angel blade, I was there. I… I was the one to stab him.” She added. Ellen was in the door, staring at him with a raised eyebrow, apparently impressed. Mary went on. “I had help.”

Bobby’s voice was low. “What kind of help?” He growled. “Mary, tell me you didn’t do anything stupid.” 

She met his eyes. “I haven’t sold my soul, and I haven’t sold myself to an angel. The wards would tell you otherwise.” She added. “I promised I’d keep the details quiet, but the whole story includes cultists and a pagan god. They’re not going to be a problem.” She surmised. 

Bobby took some seconds before he nodded, Ellen stared at her for far longer. But when she too nodded, there was a certain pride in her voice. 

“I’m glad you got to kill that creature.” 

Mary’s lopsided smile was genuine. “I’m glad too.”

They wouldn’t be so proud of what had come after killing the demon, but what they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them. It felt wrong, like a snake coiled around Mary’s insides, and yet she’d made a promise. They didn’t press the matter, not even when Mary checked the door was closed and showed them the angel blade.

“It’s like a knife, but much sharper. Cannot be sure of the material.” She commented, paraphrasing a statement Bobby had made many years ago, when he’d managed to acquire one. 

The old hunter shook his head, stifling a snort of laughter, and held it for a second before passing it to Ellen. It was her that checked its authenticity and gave it back, cautioning Mary not to lose sight of it. 

“Be careful when using it, but it’s certainly going to come in handy.”

 

Mary and Ellen spent all afternoon packing and preparing the horses to leave at dawn, getting as many durable rations as they could while Bobby copied maps. The route would take them at least a week, barring problems, and they’d have to account for getting by there and coming back. It was not a riskless endeavor, but they were all used to it. Moreover, even if they were only three people, Mary couldn’t help feeling really honored that Bobby and Ellen trusted her enough to bring her around angels. Mary knew she had experience and quite a number of years under her belt, but both of them had much more expertise. She’d have liked for Jo to come too, as she’d have somebody closer in age to confide in, but given that somebody had to take care of the Roadhouse she could understand why it was only the three of them. 

It was only as they left that Ellen called her, making sure Bobby was out of earshot. 

“If we see Zachariah, we are going for the kill. He was the one that killed his wife.” She told her. 

Mary understood, she understood more than perfectly what revenge could mean and the way it could feel. She could only hope that it wouldn’t cost them their lives. 

“Were you there?” She asked Ellen. 

The older woman shook her head, patting her horse and checking the packaging she’d already prepared. 

“I only know what he told me. It’s a sore topic for him, but you should know it. Even if it was not my place to tell you, you’re going to fight by our side and you deserve it.” She added. “And Bobby’s probably forgotten you didn’t know.”

Maybe, maybe he hadn’t. Mary wouldn’t bring up the topic. 

“Thank you.” She said instead, and went inside to help Jo with the food. 

Mary wasn’t really good at cooking, but she knew how to follow instructions and she found it relaxing. She’d need the peace before they left, because those moments were few and far between. And as she listened to Jo gossip about the usual hunters in the Roadhouse, she once more considered her relationship with John and her closed quest for revenge. Bobby had waited far more than her, he deserved closure as much as she had and maybe even more. 

It was fortunate that all three of them would be bringing angel blades to the mission, then. It was an unspoken rule among hunters that angel blades, rare as they were, were only shared in dire circumstances. They were earned, stolen from demons or angels, but never from other hunters. It was a point of pride. 

In a way, Mary was glad she didn’t have to ask for one.


	13. Chapter 13

The worst part of the plan would come when the city was in sight, because no matter which routes they used there was a chance some angel would spot them, and that would sound the alarm. It was not so much the danger of meeting one as the danger of it calling a dozen of companions, a number they couldn’t kill even with the sheer dumb luck they’d need to put down at least one of them. 

Some years ago, a group of hunters had tried to make a route to the city in the tunnels. But it had been some time after the Apocalypse, and the tunnels that had been the underground network for decades had become home for quite the number of monsters and demons. There were some humans that lived there, but they were mostly isolated groups that were sometimes kept by the monsters themselves to have a certain food supply. It made Mary’s skin crawl, but after a dozen or so teams had been lost to the attempt, the hunters had turned their eyes towards the angels. If they were driven out of the city, no matter how, then the humans would have a chance at saving their own. It was wishful thinking, but it was the kind of practical thinking that had kept the settlements alive. 

So instead of the tunnels, they went by horse. It was long and annoying and the silence through the group as they walked the last miles towards the outer ring of the city was as oppressive as the angel regime. They’d have to keep their profession a secret and they’d chosen clothes that would help them pass for the poor people that lived in the city, and every time any of them heard anything remotely similar to the beat of wings, the tension put them all on edge. 

By the time they arrived Mary would have been content with killing all the birds in the nearby lands. Without cars and without constant travel the roads had been forgotten to time, nature taking over what had once been hers. And the monsters, of course, came with the package. Whatever contempt Mary could have for the people that had stayed by the Angels’ side even after watching their loved ones lose their mind and their body to them, they were still humans and not even Bobby could hide his relief at being among people again. 

They were still on schedule if they were to meet the other group, but Bobby led them to the place they had agreed to go to. It was a basement near the cleanest part of the outer ring, surrounded by some bars and a guesthouse that was, for all intents and purposes, some bad-category restaurant. 

“I don’t suggest you eat anything from here.” Ellen told Mary, before making sure nobody was paying attention to them and knocking on the door. Something moved behind it, then an eye appeared behind a screen and the door opened. 

The man greeting them was of average height and lanky, his face mousy and his movements nervous. There was, however, a certain light in his eyes, and when he and Bobby clasped hands, he seemed genuinely happy to see them. 

“I take you are Mary?” The man asked, introducing himself as Mary nodded. “Garth. Please come in. The house is not warded, the basement is.” He explained. 

Mary glanced at Ellen, the older woman simply pointed at the sky and Mary understood. If they warded the house, the angels may notice that something was amiss and come to investigate. Knowing how they were, that was a risk not worth taking. It didn’t made the thought of being under the angels’ noses any more bearable. 

Garth’s basement was more of a collection of routes and cellars reconverted to some kind of guesthouse. There was a pane with messages written, some of them in code, and a cupboard underneath. 

“Here I keep the messages.” Garth explained to Mary, as she was the only newcomer in the group. “Some hunters come and leave notes for others, the public ones I keep on the pane. It’s not as good as I’d like it to be, but manning communications is not exactly easy.”

A few steps later Mary started hearing the first sounds and she couldn’t help getting tense, preparing to fight. But Ellen put a hand on her arm, they turned a corner and found themselves in front of a door. Garth opened it with an old iron key and the soft light of torches showed them about ten other humans gathered in there. The walls were covered in angel warding and sigils, and Mary took a second to admire them. Not all had been done by the same people, but the wards thrummed in their power. Another glance at the group showed her that the other team from the Roadhouse had also arrived in time and they were all shaking hands. 

They only sat down after the flurry of names and welcoming smiles, and Mary recognized the clothes of hunters. Whether they didn’t want to pass for the kind of humans living there or it was simply a point of pride for the reunion, she didn’t know. 

It was Ellen who asked for silence, sitting at the head of the table, in front of Garth. 

“We are meeting here to plan on killing Zachariah. According to Garth, there is a plan in the works. So please spill.”

The next man to speak was tall, broad and clean-shaven, and he put a bundle of clothing on the table. His smile was sharp and wild. 

“Zachariah is reporting to an angel based in the city. A part of us will take some of the humans in the cleaning crew and the others will infiltrate. As soon as we see Zachariah, and we have a description, we try to kill him. We are carrying Holy Oil.” 

Getting inside a building full of angel was pure madness. It could work. It could mean the worst of deaths, it could mean a shot at a monster. Mary was in.


	14. Chapter 14

While the original plan hadn’t involved Mary or Ellen, much less Bobby, the moment that their Allies had brought three people gagged and unconscious the choice had been made. The other three hunters didn’t look at all like the cleaning crew and while they weren’t sure if the angels saw the same way humans did, they didn’t want to take any chances. The team would be carrying their angel blades and some holy oil and they all knew how to make the angel-banishing sigil. It wasn’t much of a respite, given that using it would be a clear giveaway of what and where they were, but at least it may buy some of them a couple of minutes. They couldn’t do much more, the situation was dire. 

Fortunately for them, walking through the city was easier than expected. The outer rings were comprised of humans, walking quietly and moving with a sort of machine-like efficiency that was both creepy and sad. Mary knew they were not angels because they were walking, as few angels would lower themselves to that unless inside of buildings. 

The cleaning crew had been willing to talk soon enough, and they had been promised their freedom when the team returned. It was both an attempt to keep them true, as they would believe that if they died their chances of seeing the sun were dim, and an attempt to have them talk. If they had nothing to lose, they would give them false information, and that was a risk they weren’t willing to add to those already in the mission. 

Mary knew when they arrived to the angels’ domain because the buildings changed. They weren’t just houses, the remain of an age long gone, but high towers and glass buildings that remained grandly untouched. While most books agreed that Angels didn’t need to eat or to sleep, many rows of houses still remained. What they were used for, Mary didn’t know nor did she have the time to explore and see it. There was nobody on the streets but now and then there would be the sound of wings near them and once Mary saw a figure appear behind a window. 

The young hunter had never felt so exposed in her life, not even that time she’d walked alone through a forest infested of Werewolves. That had been terrifying but necessary, and she’d survived. Now… now everywhere could be hiding an Angel. They were going in, killing an Angel as fast as they could and then trusting other hunters to provide them with both a distraction and a secure route to safety. It had never been done, but if they did they would give the people in the settlements the kind of hope they so desperately needed. So Mary took a deep breath and kept walking, head low after Bobby and her eyes on the building they were walking towards. 

There was no security check when they entered. The prisoners had told them that, indeed, but Mary hadn’t believed them. Now they were facing the empty doors of the tallest building around and it was as creepy as imposing, but they walked inside and reached for the little closed were the cleaning tools were kept. It was still early enough that there should have been few to no angels working in there, but the movement inside didn’t seem to have stopped for the night. There were angels going around their business and thrice Mary had to change course to avoid them, as much as her arm itched to stab them, but she kept herself under control. She knew that Ellen was watching her and her eyes were clear: she had to be cautious. A mistake, a misstep, and the whole mission would be compromised. 

It wasn’t as easy to keep walking when they started going up stairs that had been kept clean, way too clean. Only humans used those, it appeared, because they saw no angel as they made their way to the tenth floor. Mary was used to exercise, but for all his age Bobby kept quite the rhythm and Mary was trying not to pant as they finally reached their destination. She barely had time to stop and avoid clashing into Ellen just a second afterwards, and when she moved to see what was happening she found Bobby facing a middle-aged woman. No, an angel wearing a middle-aged woman, because the way she held still, not even breathing, was a clear giveaway. 

Mary narrowed her eyes. She’d seen that woman before, somewhere. Another look made Mary reassess the woman’s age, she was probably not even forty, way younger than Bobby and Ellen. 

“You are not from here.” The Angel told them, tilting her head. “You are not from the city.” 

The moment the Angel’s hand started glowing, Mary followed Bobby’s example and ran. The stairs were the only other route, and so they took it even when all of Mary’s instincts yelled that there would be Angels waiting for them on the ground floor and probably in the middle of the way. 

The only good think about the whole situation was that the angels weren’t flying into the stairs, which bought them about a minute of calm. Bobby drew his angel blade and cut his hand, preparing to draw the angel-banishing sigil on the nearest wall. It wouldn’t work, it wouldn’t give them enough time. Mary could feel the whispers around them, the flapping of wings. They were running out of chances. 

She cut the back of her arm, took some blood with a finger and drew a completely different symbol on the wall. She heard Ellen’s question, Bobby’s clear ‘what’ and then she heard wings even closer. Mary closed her eyes, a hand touched her shoulder and then everything went cold. 

The darkness lasted for the better part of a second, then everything became clear and Mary found an arm holding her upright. Ellen and Bobby weren’t that lucky, and they were both staring at a certain pagan god dressed in leather and a smirk.


	15. Chapter 15

“I see you remembered.” 

Loki’s voice wore his smirk, but he didn’t seem displeased as he kissed Mary’s hand and took a step back, mockingly bowing towards the other two hunters. 

Ellen was already back on his feet, the angel blade in plain sight and his intention clear. Bobby was moving in a much slower way, but his eyes were focused on the pagan and then shifted towards Mary, who was still standing by Loki. After a second, Ellen focused on her too and Mary forced herself to stop both hunters before everything became a battle. She could still hear her heartbeat on her head and all she saw around her were wooden walls, and a door in front of her. 

“First things first, thank you, Loki, for saving us.” She told him, and the pagan bowed again, this time something much more formal. 

He didn’t seem at all affected by being in a room with three hunters, all of them possessing weapons that should be able to kill him, and when he moved again, walking behind Mary, his steps were nearly silent. 

“You are welcome. I am Loki, and you are safe.” He said, even if his smirk wasn’t helping. “We are on the outskirts of the city, but this place is shielded from Angel eyes.” He added. “And you should lower your blades.” There was the barest hint of a threat in his voice, but more than enough for Mary to notice and turn around, to be facing him. She did, however, put away her blade. There was no point in picking a battle. 

Ellen did not see it the same way. 

“Child, don’t be foolish.” She hissed. “Come here, and explain.”

But Mary shook her head. “It’s alright. He helped me kill the Yellow Eyed Demon. And he just saved our life.” She repeated. 

It was not enough for the two hunters, and as she met Loki’s eyes, she saw the exasperation in the pagan’s eyes. Then he gestured to the empty air and the angel blades disappeared, prompting Ellen to jump back. 

“Don’t worry.” Loki dawdled. “They are in your boots. I’d rather talk like this, if you don’t mind. I do have something to ask of you.” 

Only then did Mary take a step back, but Loki shook his head. 

“Your distrust wounds me.” He smirked, and then shrugged. “Saving you was free of cost, but this you may like. Would you like to save a child?” 

That got everybody’s attention. Bobby was wielding his angel blade once more, and the pagan sighed, making another gesture. The blade disappeared again and a table appeared between the hunters. After a second four chairs joined it and Mary sat in one of them. Ellen took a bit longer, Bobby only acted after her, his blade once more in his hand, but not directly threatening Loki anymore. He seemed to settle for that. 

“This house belongs to a woman with a child that has been possessed by a demon.” The god told them, crossing his arms over his chest. “You help her, you are even with the person who’s just let you use her place as a safe house.”

Bobby glared at him. “Why can’t you do it yourself, lad?” 

Loki smirked. “I am not meant to do exorcisms. I contained the demon but if I were to interfere I would kill the child. You may be much more fortunate.” He added. 

Ellen looked at Mary and then at Loki a few times. “I do not trust you, but show us this demon. If it is true, we will help.” 

Loki grinned, managing to turn the gesture into something mischievous. 

“Perfect.” 

Mary side-eyed the god. This could better not be a trap, and hopefully the pagan had gotten the idea. He looked towards her, smirked, and then offered her a hand as he swiftly got up, the chair disappearing from under him. After a second, Mary took it and then the world stood still, the colors getting somewhat dim. 

“Why?” She asked him, in a whisper that was both a question and a threat. 

His expression got serious. 

“I wanted to talk to you, and I had a feeling that they would object. Do you mind?”

Mary considered it for a second and then clasped his hand, nodding. She considered hugging him and thought better of it. Then Loki’s left hand toyed with Mary’s hair and the hunter changed her mind, letting her weight fall against the pagan god’s chest. 

“Let us talk, then. I’m glad you came.” 

He giggled, and the sound caught Mary by surprise. “Did you doubt it?” 

“I was occupied trying to survive, there wasn’t much I could think about. But I hoped you’d be true to your word.”

He traced circles in Mary’s back, his touch soft and warm. “I may be a trickster god, but I like to keep my promises. You have kept yours, after all.” He added, breathing against Mary’s ear. She moved her head and kissed him, barely a touch of lips against lips. 

It had been way too long since she’d been comfortable touching somebody like this, in such a casual way. She wouldn’t admit it, but she’d missed Loki after she’d left his settlement. In another world, in another time, she’d have bought him a drink, or maybe a coffee. As things were, she’d have to manage with this. 

“Why are you helping the child?” She asked, after a second. 

Loki purred. “I don’t enjoy the suffering of children. And I don’t like demons.” He added, and then looked thoughtfully at Mary. “If I ask you who are you trying to kill, will you tell me?”

Mary met his eyes, then looked away. He had helped them escape, he’d come when called. But some things were meant to be upheld. 

“Not until the mission is completed. I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t be.” The god told her, apparently as calm as he’d been before. “I don’t mind waiting, I was just curious.”


	16. Chapter 16

Mary took a step back and then the world started moving again, the colors vibrant once more and the other two hunters getting on their feet just as Loki went through the door. His steps were fast and completely silent and Mary found herself after him, just in case Bobby decided to stab Loki and finish with the problems that way. As calm as he seemed by the idea of having angel blades pointed towards him, Mary worried. She knew that the god was more than able to protect himself but she’d already lost enough people she cared about. She was taking no chances. 

They found the demon bound and gagged inside a Devil’s trap, the mother crying in a corner of the room. Just as Mary turned towards Bobby, the older man started reciting the exorcism. Loki had disappeared, leaving the room in utter silence, and Ellen touched Mary’s arm and brought her to a corner, carefully not looking the possessed child that thrashed and screamed. Bobby’s words were furious, Mary had never seen him that tense. 

“The plan has changed.” Ellen told her, forcing Mary’s attention back to her. “We will try again, but we are not only after Zachariah.” 

“That other angel?” Mary guessed, whispering as she glanced at Bobby. “Are we after it too?” 

Ellen nodded. “We want to capture it. Force the angel out, if we may. Not sure how, but…” 

“You knew her? The human, I mean.” 

“She was Bobby’s wife.” 

Mary’s world started spinning. She opened her mouth, tried to say something, then glanced at Bobby and shut up. 

Ellen’s gaze was distant, but she focused once more on Mary as the demon finally left this plane. 

“Do you think you could get that pagan god of yours to help us?” 

What else could she do? They needed his help, and maybe his knowledge. “I can try. That’s all I can promise.” 

Hopefully it would be enough. 

She left the room shortly after, leaving Ellen to talk with the mother and the child and unable to look at Bobby. She couldn’t help wondering what would she do if it had been John in there, John’s body with an angel inside. A chill ran through her spine and she rested her back against the wooden walls. A moment later a hand trailed through her arm and she looked up to see Loki sitting in a table in front of her on a table that hadn’t been there before. 

“You look worried.” 

“I am.” She admitted. “And I’d like to negotiate.” 

He tilted his head, looking puzzled, and then his expression grew sober. He offered her a hand and once more Mary took it. When she opened her eyes again they were on the same clearing that had once hosted a Viking party and Loki was sitting cross-legged in front of her. Mary sat too, toying with the hem of her shirt. 

“I need knowledge, Loki, and your help once more. What would it cost me?” 

He stayed silent for a few seconds, then nodded. 

“I overheard. You want to expel an angel from a human body.” He said. “There are ways, but if I told you, all angels would be after you. You’d become a threat to them.” 

“That’s exactly what I want. I want them out of our cities. I want them gone.” Mary breathed out. Her voice was calmer than she’d expected. “And I want to help Bobby. Teach me how to expel an angel from a human body and bring us there, that’s what I want. But I want to know the price.” 

Loki’s hand caressed her cheek and Mary stopped it, soft but firm. 

“I am serious.” 

“I know you are, but I am thinking.” He answered, shaking his head. It took him the better part of a minute to speak again. “Two things I would ask you. First, you’d keep this meeting a secret. They will not learn I was the one who taught you, not even that your teacher was a pagan.” 

Mary nodded. It seemed fair. “And the other condition?” 

His expression softened. “Come party with me once more. I will bring you back two seconds after we left, but you will do something risky and extremely dangerous afterwards.” 

“Only partying?” Mary checked. “I expected something more like my soul, or my loyalty, or something else.” 

Loki shrugged. “I know better than to bind a hunter to me. I get sacrifices and worship from the people I protect, and I do not deal in souls. Besides, I enjoy your company.” He added. 

Mary took a second to consider it and then nodded. “Alright, I accept. But you know, if you want to go partying with me, you just have to ask. I did enjoy it last time. Everything.” 

Loki’s eyes glinted with something mischievous and a cold breeze passed through the clearing. 

“Everything?” He asked. 

Mary got on her feet and this time it was her that offered him a hand. “Everything. Ten out of ten I’d do it again.” 

This time the pagan god laughed, and the sound moved to his shoulders as he took Mary’s hand and got on his feet. 

“I was thinking about Babylon. Sounds nice?” 

“Sounds perfect.” 

The world changed again and Mary let herself fall against Loki while they teleported, once more trusting him much more than it would have been sensible. But she’d slept in his arms once and she’d do it again, and she would be lying if she didn’t admit that she felt safe around him. 

She knew there was a chance that Loki would get tired of her, or maybe her common sense would catch up with her and hammer home that having a fling with a trickster god wasn’t the best of ideas. But for now she didn’t care. He’d offered him the chance to be free for a bit, to enjoy a world the angels hadn’t destroyed yet. And for that she’d always be thankful.


	17. Chapter 17

Going back to the city the angels had destroyed was not in any way easy, and Mary needed a second to wrap her mind around it. Only two seconds had passed, and yet it had been three days. 

It was not that Mary would like to spend all her life in the past. It was tempting, but it was tempting in the way the dreams were. They were a life she could never truly live, not as long as there were monsters in the world. What could she do, if not to try to fight them? Two days in the past and she’d grown restless, remembering maybe way too suddenly that Bobby needed her there. There was no point in delaying it more or else the fear would creep in and make it harder. 

They were going to hunt down an angel, in an angel base in full alert, and capture another. They would risk the last holy oil they had, they would take it as the last chance, and if they failed they were worse than dead. 

“I will come with you.” Loki told her, and Bobby and Ellen by extension, when the hunters entered the room. He was still holding Mary’s hand and even though Bobby’s look had a hint of disgust in it, Mary didn’t try to take it back. Whatever that happened, they were in this together. 

“We leave at midnight.” Bobby growled, and then disappeared to the other room. Mary found herself with Ellen and Loki, the older hunter toying with the Angel Blade in a way that was nothing short of threatening as she addressed the pagan god. 

“You better not hurt her. Else, there is no threat that can compare to what I’ll do to you.” 

Loki’s smile genuine, his voice warmer than Mary had expected. 

“Don’t worry, ma’am.” He said. “I won’t.” 

And with that, he disappeared. 

Mary knew he’d be back at midnight, but that had just left her with Ellen, of all people, looking at her in both curiosity and a certain mirth. 

“It’s… kind of what it looks like.” Mary was forced to admit. 

Ellen shrugged. “No worries, girl. There are worst choices, he seems to fancy you well enough.” 

Mary looked away. “Sometimes I forget he’s not even human. That worries me.” 

“Does he care about human life?” 

That question took the hunter by surprise and she needed a second to process it. 

“I think he does, in his own way.” She said at last. “Even those he doesn’t know, sometimes.”

“Then that’s enough.” 

Mary stared at her. 

“Look, girl, this world is mad. You found happiness, even if for a short time, with him? That’s enough for me. And at least he acts human enough.” 

“Thank you, Ellen.” 

 

The mission started again at midnight and this time Loki left them inside the building. There was no alarm, no sound of wings, so Mary assumed it was all working according to the plan. At least for now. She was carrying the angel blade on her sleeve and given that they had Loki in there they’d chosen their hunting clothes, and not only those they’d need for the infiltration. 

They were basically going in blind, following the office numbers until they got to the one where Zachariah was supposed to be in, but the problem would be meeting other angels. There was no way to guarantee they wouldn’t sound the alarm just as they died and then they’d have to leave and, moreover, Loki had already told them he would only help once. Doing something else would imply endangering the settlement. 

The moment an angel appeared in front of them, everything started falling on itself. Bobby stabbed it, fast enough that it couldn’t even yell, but the light was blinding and the alarm would be raised in a matter of seconds. 

A certain female angel appeared from behind a door, and seconds after another one followed. For the first time in her life Mary could barely believe her luck, because while Zachariah was out of her reach, the other angel wasn’t. And she knew she had to try. She moved the blade over her own hand, carefully drawing a sigil, flinching at the pain. It had to be done. 

She ducked under the angel’s hand, fast enough to catch her if Loki hadn’t interfered and blocked it, and the angel’s second of surprise was more than enough for Mary to point the blade to her neck. Loki was holding the angel’s hands and they’d frozen, and as she tried to break it Bobby lit up a torch in holy oil and wielded it against the others. 

Ellen took the chance it offered her, as the angels were probably already getting over their surprise, and drew holy oil in the ground, two concentrical circles. 

Just as Ellen was going to lit it, Loki teleported Mary and the angel outside of the circle. 

“Bad idea. Too much attention.” 

The pagan god did something to the angel and she feel unconscious, and just as Mary got a hold of the body she passed it to Bobby. A thought had just crossed her mind and it wasn’t going to be nice. 

“Teleport us.” She asked Loki, getting close to Ellen and Bobby. The pagan agreed. As he reached to touch her hand, however, Mary took a step back and watched him disappear. 

She stood beside a group of furious angels, surrounded by holy oil and with a sigil carved in blood in her hand. As she pressed it against the wall, a breath before the angels could recover, she felt a tingle through her arm and they all disappeared. 

Loki appeared back just a moment afterwards, his expression both irate and worried. It was a strange mix, one she hadn’t seen before on him. Mary took a second to let him come towards her, then took a step back and lit the holy oil, trapping the pagan god inside of a circle. 

“Can you get out?” Was all she asked him.


	18. Chapter 18

Loki stood very still and Mary watched him with narrowed eyes. She was breathing heavily, there was a shadow dancing on his gaze. 

“Can you get out?” She asked again, in a whisper. She had what, twelve, thirteen seconds before the angels came back? If Loki could get out, if he wasn’t an angel, then it was time enough. They hadn’t killed Zachariah, but they had the other angel. It would have to do. 

If Loki wasn’t a pagan god, however… 

“This is not the time for this.” Loki said, voice carefully even. “They will come back.” 

Mary would have liked to tell him she’d trusted him, that she’d enjoyed his company. Something beautiful and heartfelt, something that conveyed her heart breaking. 

“Then get out of the fire and teleport us out of here.” She growled instead. Because she’d been lied to, because one again she was losing something she’d believed that would last for much more than it was lasting. 

Loki hissed, glaring at her. There was undeniable hurt in his eyes, but Mary met his gaze without flinching. 

“Who are you?” She asked at last, a whisper, maybe even a plea. It would be all she’d allow herself to feel. 

The pagan god, if he could still be considered a pagan god, bristled. He tilted his head, as if listening to something only he could hear, and then the lighting changed. It didn’t flicker so much as dim, and even then it only lasted for a second. 

“You knew me as Loki.” He said, after a breath. “I have been Loki for a really long time.” He added, and his voice changed. There was something different, something alien in those golden eyes of his. “But before all that, before humanity even, I was known as Gabriel. The Messenger, if you may.”

Mary’s world froze for a second, but in the metaphorical way. She wasn’t sure Loki, or Gabriel now, could slow time down from inside of the circle. She hoped he couldn’t. 

“The… Archangel?” She asked, dubitative. 

Loki’s eyes widened and, before he had a chance to answer, Mary’s trained reflexes told her about a blade that missed her ribs by less than an inch. 

She found herself blade in hand before her conscious mind had had a chance to digest what was happening and she turned around to see Zachariah, again wearing the same man he’d been wearing before. He was alone, at least for now, and Mary cursed in her head. Then she cursed out loud, because the situation was dire enough and sword fighting an angel wasn’t in the list of her favorite pastimes. 

He tried to stab her again, this time in the neck, and Mary found herself backing away just in time. Then he reached for her wrist and the hunter dug her blade deep in his hand with a yelp. If he touched her, she was dead. If he hit her, she was dead. If more angels came, she was dead. And her ticket outside had been an inside agent all this time. 

She glanced at Loki once more and she found him concentrating, not even looking at her. Zachariah lunged at her once more, frustration evident in his eyes, and only then Mary understood. 

Loki, because she still couldn’t think of him as Gabriel, was slowing down time. Her previous assumption had been wrong and that explained how she could parry the angel’s blows. She was human, for all her training and experience. She couldn’t hope to match an angel’s reflexes. But she was having some help, even now, and she wondered, as she ducked under Zachariah’s next strike, why Loki was helping her. 

Mary had already assumed this would be her last stand. She wasn’t landing any hit, even if she was managing to avoid getting hurt herself, but freeing an angry archangel who knew where everybody was hiding was the worst of ideas. She’d just have to hope that she could kill Zachariah and that Bobby would take everybody else to safety before Gabriel went after them. 

“I cannot keep this much longer.” Whispered Loki. Zachariah glared at him, but the archangel simply shrugged. 

Mary ducked under yet another blow. She was maybe one step away from the flaming circle, not more. 

“You trusted me before. You don’t have to die today.” 

Mary clenched her fists. She couldn’t know what Gabriel would do to her once she freed him. Best case scenario, her death would be swift. Worst case scenario… no, she didn’t want to imagine. But as soon as she saw Zachariah’s hand way too close, as soon as she saw that she wouldn’t be fast enough, time slowly returning to its natural flow, she made a choice. 

“We had fun times together.” She whispered, breaking the circle with her foot. 

Zachariah’s hand stopped less than an inch from her face, another hand holding his wrist, and Gabriel the Archangel made the shadow of his wings appear behind him. Power hummed for a second, the barest hint of fear in Zachariah’s expression, and then he fell limp. 

Mary took a step back, breathing heavily, and Loki stood very still. 

“I’m preventing any more angels from coming.” He explained. 

Mary nodded. “Then this is just between us.”

“It has always been.”

Mary held the angel blade, tense. She didn’t want to fight him. He stood still, arms crossed, watching her. 

“Why?” She asked, and she hoped he’d understand her meaning. Why had he been posing as a pagan god, why had he protected a human settlement. Why had he been playing with her. 

“It’s a long story. I will tell you, but now we should leave.” He added, enunciating his words. As if talking to a frightened animal. 

Mary nearly growled. She so didn’t need anybody to be condescending with her. 

“How could I trust you?” She asked, instead. 

Gabriel’s smile was coated in sadness. 

“You trusted Loki. I could have hurt you in the past. And yet, you trusted me. We had fun.” He added, raising an eyebrow. 

Mary scowled, refusing to blush. 

“Is it so hard to believe that I care about you?” He went on. 

“Yes.” She said. Still, she took his outstretched hand. 

There was no heat, just three seconds of darkness.


	19. Chapter 19

The world took color again and Mary found herself on a hill overlooking a small Viking town. The sun had just started rising and the sweet summer breeze toyed with her hair. Gabriel, even if he looked much more like Loki, was sitting with his legs crossed besides her, and his smile was wry. 

“We talked here once.” He started. 

After a second Mary sat down too, adrenaline still tainting her world. 

“I’m listening.” She said, and his smile became a bit more genuine. 

And so Gabriel talked about the Angels. About how their father had left and how infighting had teared them apart. About how another pagan had taught him to fashion a vessel and he’d become Loki, the trickster, forever running away. About how, when the world had ended, he’d protected a small settlement from the madness of his siblings. 

Mary listened in complete silence, only moving to take his hand at a certain point. He let her and kept talking, and a small part of Mary took notice of how warm his skin was. Warmer than before he’d been Loki. 

When he finished he lay down on the grass, the runes on his skin dimming until they disappeared. 

“I’m telling you all this,” he said, “Because I want you to understand why I did what I did.” 

Mary rested her chin on her hand and considered it carefully. 

“I believe you.” She answered at last. “But I’m not sure I trust you anymore.” 

“It’s only fair.” He replied. He was on his way to getting up when Mary asked him to stop, a hand on his chest. 

“I don’t trust you. But I didn’t trust you back when we went hunting the demon with yellow eyes. You said you cared about me, didn’t you?” She asked, her voice even. 

Loki nodded. 

“Then show me. Let’s start anew. I hadn’t expected there would be another man in my life after John. I will not worship you, nor will I pray to you, that I promise. But we can have fun. I can offer you my loyalty and my faith as long as it’s reciprocal, if you earn it. If I earn yours.” 

He closed his eyes, and then nodded, his smile widening to something genuine. 

“Then I am Loki, protector of a small settlement. I also happen to be an archangel in hiding. It’s a pleasure to meet you, hunter.” 

“Likewise.”

Mary helped him to his feet. 

“Will you take me to see my companions?” 

The world went black for an agonizing moment, and then Mary found herself in Loki’s arms, facing slightly surrealist scene: Bobby was sitting in front of the angel they’d captured, an empty table between them, and Ellen watched them from the counter. 

All three of them turned to face Mary and Loki and the room went still. The relief coming from both hunters was something nearly tangible and Mary tilted her head at the angel’s situation. 

“I’d expected her to be in chains.”

Loki poked her shoulder. “I bound her power, mainly to prevent a bloodbath.” 

The angel glared at Loki, but he shrugged, and Mary noticed that there could have been much more heat behind that gaze. 

Moreover, Bobby was uncharacteristically silent, and as soon as Ellen asked Mary to leave the room with her, she followed the older hunter. Loki stayed behind with Bobby and the angel, his back against the wall and a lollypop on his hand. 

 

Ellen didn’t talk immediately. Instead she sat down on a chair of the empty house they were now in, sighing and rubbing at his eyes. 

“I’m not sure how to explain this to you, but apparently Bobby’s wife is in heaven, and she’s just wearing the body.” 

“That’s… to be expected, I guess.” Mary replied. The question, left unsaid and yet painfully obvious, was still on the air. Why hadn’t they killed the angel, then? Somehow the idea wasn’t as appealing as it should have been, not after Gabriel’s revelation, but she still very much preferred to think about him as Loki. 

Ellen shrugged, apologetic. “She says she has all the memories, that she wants to protect Bobby.” 

“And he believes her?” 

Ellen shook her head. “Nor do I, not yet. But she has agreed to keep her powers bound, and…” 

And it was tempting, so very tempting. What had the world gone to? She was dating an archangel, the oldest and most experienced hunter wanted to keep an angel by his side and Ellen, poor Ellen, was somehow still sane. 

“A wise woman once told me that this world is mad. That sometimes all it matters is finding some measure of happiness.”

Ellen glanced at her. “Do you think this will work?”

“I’m not sure of anything.” Mary admitted. “But you know, I may be starting to believe that angels are not an unified front. They are our enemies, at least most of them, yes. But maybe, just maybe, there is a chance at a better future.”

One that did not involve hiding, one in which both of them could share the earth. It was wishful thinking. It was also the kind of hope they may have been needing.


End file.
